New Norovirus Strain Rips Through The U.S.

[FarmerJohn]

by SCOTT HENSLEY
January 25, 201312:10 PM

It's here. A variant of norovirus first spotted in Australia is now sweeping the U.S.

The wily virus causes stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea. The sickness is sometimes referred to as the stomach flu, though influenza has nothing to do with it.

Since the strain called "GII.4 Sydney" was identified in Australia last March, it's been getting around. The U.K. has had a bang-up norovirus season with more than a million people sickened. The new strain has also struck in France and New Zealand.

Now it's our turn. More than half of 266 norovirus outbreaks reported during the last four months of 2012 were caused by the Australian strain, according to data just out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The places hit most often: long-term care facilities and restaurants.

The worst could be yet to come — or not. In a typical norovirus season, cases peak in January, so the CDC says it's not clear yet how bad this season will turn out to be.

As Norovirus Rages, A Robot Named 'Vomiting Larry' Gets His Closeup
There's no particular treatment or vaccine against norovirus. The best defense is good hygiene — wash your hands frequently and well. A thorough cleanup of the messes with an effective disinfectant, such as a bleach solution, is a must.

Norovirus is tough to beat. One British scientist called it the "Ferrari of the virus field" for its ability to spread rapidly. Fewer than 20 virus particle are enough to infect someone.

A recent piece titled "The inexorable progress of norovirus" in Lancet Infectious Diseases sums up what we're up against:

Arguably among the best adapted of human pathogens, although vaccination may one day have a role in slowing the march of norovirus, there is as yet no substitute for the basics of forewarning from epidemiological surveillance and diligent infection control.

The virus mutates quickly, too, allowing it to defeat human immune systems. "It's a little like flu," Jan Vinje, a CDC epidemiologist told the Washington Post. said. "The virus is mutating to a 'fitter' strain and is attacking a non-immune population."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/25/170249648/new-norovirus-strain-rips-through-the-u-s

 

[Masterchief117]

I just saw part of the title of the thread and I thought it would say "New Norovirus Strain Rips ...... you a new esophagus and a new rectum." I know its gallows humor, but if you had it you would probably agree.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I just saw part of the title of the thread and I thought it would say "New Norovirus Strain Rips ...... you a new esophagus and a new rectum." I know its gallows humor, but if you had it you would probably agree.

we had a version of it back in 2006, to be specific we had the 8-11 day version that bascially shut down the university and other gov't offices here! Btw once you've have norovirus unless your nose is dead you will notice that it has a peculiar odor to it, that odor is signature to Norovirus! Learn to identify that odor cause those that are newly infected with it REEK of that odor and you can avoid them like the plague carriers they truly are!

K-

 

[FireDance]

Oh. My. Ya'll need to google "vomiting larry" and watch the video and just prepare to die. The "projectile vomit" is not the killer - watch what happens after she cleans it up.

Just sighing in resignation now. And waiting.

 

[FarmerJohn]

Btw once you've have norovirus unless your nose is dead you will notice that it has a peculiar odor to it, that odor is signature to Norovirus! Learn to identify that odor cause those that are newly infected with it REEK of that odor and you can avoid them like the plague carriers they truly are!

K-

This was unexpected; something that makes Norovirus even less desirable!

Is there anything that you can compare this smell with that might help us 'uninitiated' be more sensitive and alert? Is there a scratch and sniff card that we can use to educate ourselves?

 

[packyderms_wife]

This was unexpected; something that makes Norovirus even less desirable!

Is there anything that you can compare this smell with that might help us 'uninitiated' be more sensitive and alert? Is there a scratch and sniff card that we can use to educate ourselves?

It smells like bile and it's different than the smell of vomit, my closest comparison is to the bile smell you can smell in a freshly butchered chickens innards. In addition to projectile vomiting we had gas coming out of both ends and the gas smelled of bile only magnify it times ten! Like I said once you've had a whiff you'll never forget the smell. In fact a couple of years later OC and I were grocery shopping and he's like hey go check out the guy in the next aisle, does he smell like noro virus to you? I checked it out and yes he smelled like noro virus, we quickly got our stuff, paid, and left. Don't want that stuff again EVER!!!

K-

 

[FarmerJohn]

Thanks, Packy, except now I regret having asked.

 

[nilla]

went thru my family right after xmas - someone in the family had just gotten 'over it' but passed it on

started with terrible indigestion and belching - so bad antacid/pepto/baking soda could not touch

progressed to diarrhea and extreme fatigue that lasted for more than a week

I began taking mega doses of elderberry the minute the first one got sick. I was the last to get 'it' (a week later) - mine lasted about two hours - once I vomited I was back to normal other than just fatigue

nasty stuff in more ways than one

 

[Siskiyoumom]

For me it was a sudden onset of symptoms a few days after Christmas.
Woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible headache and nausea.
Threw up and it was instant bile. The material that came up was pale yellow green and the gas pain was intense.
The first discharge actually burned my throat!
I woke up my dear hubby after three hours of retching and almost had him take me to the e.r. due to the blood showing up in the vomit.
He made me his famous beef broth/garlic/onion soup and I sipped that and water.
It was a hellish two days of illness.
After talking with my primary care doc this week she said, "Sounds like you had a noro virus. Wash your hands, you clean up any mess, to prevent your husband from getting it."
She said the reported cases are only those confirmed by a doc.
She said that there probably are more than 3x cases than those reported by the CDC.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Thanks, Packy, except now I regret having asked.

God gave us a sense of smell and for good reason, that and that small still voice! Trust your gut instinct!!!

K-

 

[packyderms_wife]

For me it was a sudden onset of symptoms a few days after Christmas.
Woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible headache and nausea.
Threw up and it was instant bile. The material that came up was pale yellow green and the gas pain was intense.
The first discharge actually burned my throat!
I woke up my dear hubby after three hours of retching and almost had him take me to the e.r. due to the blood showing up in the vomit.
He made me his famous beef broth/garlic/onion soup and I sipped that and water.
It was a hellish two days of illness.
After talking with my primary care doc this week she said, "Sounds like you had a noro virus. Wash your hands, you clean up any mess, to prevent your husband from getting it."
She said the reported cases are only those confirmed by a doc.
She said that there probably are more than 3x cases than those reported by the CDC.

More like 100x, here on the news they gave the symptoms and begged people to stay home, unless your showing signs of dehydration, etc. Noro is the virus from hell you can keep reinfecting if you don't sterlize everything after being sick, as in taking a scorched earth approach to the bathroom sterlizing!

K-

 

[My Adonai]

Hubby just went through either this, or gastroenteritus (sp?). Thing was, he only spent a few hours one night throwing up, and said his first symptoms were deep aching in his legs, and an upset stomach. Weird. The next day he was able to have some homemade chicken noodle soup, and it stayed down just fine. I don't think it was this Norovirus.

 

[IRoberge]

Went through our house right after Christmas and it affected each of us differently. Some were throwing and some were going. Common symptoms seemed to be intense headache, stomach pains, and deep painful body aches. We may not have had the Australian version but whatever it was it was bad enough.